Love, Actually

Chapter 4

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When Sakura escaped via rooftop, she had tried hard not to be seen by Sasuke. But it seemed that fate really loved messing with her that day because she felt Sasuke's chakra flare in response to her own and she knew that he'd sensed her.

I'm sure Sasuke's figured out that I know the truth about him and Kagome by now, Sakura thought, jumping to a nearby roof.

She entered their apartment and made sure the door was locked even though she knew Sasuke had the keys. Still, it gave Sakura a small sense of satisfaction knowing that it would take him longer to enter. She then collapsed at the hallway, back to the wall. The pink haired woman drew her knees up to her chest and cried her heart out.

Why?! How could he do this to her? How could he hurt her like this? How could they betray her like this! One was her husband, the other was her friend. She trusted them. She trusted them, damn it!

Roughly twenty minutes later, she heard some shuffling outside the door, followed by the jangling of keys.

Sasuke's home. Sakura's heart gave a painful lurch. She wasn't ready! Surely now would be the moment where he told her he wanted a divorce, that he would marry Kagome instead. Sakura wasn't ready! She wouldn't ever be ready!

The door opened and Sasuke stepped inside.

Sakura's gaze fell to the floor. She didn't want to look at him when he told her it was over. She didn't want to see the absence of love in his eyes. The love that she thought was once only there for her, but now reserved for Kagome.

What Sasuke said though, totally threw her for a loop.

"I'm home," he said softly, and Sakura's sorrow and heartache went up in smoke. What replaced it though, was rage. Pure, unadulterated, rage.

"I'm home?" she bit out, her voice pure poison. She stood up and made her way to him. "I see you cheating on me with Kagome and the only thing you can say to me now is 'I'm home?!' No apologies, no 'Sakura, what you saw today, it's not what it looks like,' or 'Kagome and I are just good friends. The rumours are wrong and today I only accompanied her shopping because she asked me to. The hug I gave her meant nothing.' No explanations at all? Just 'I'm home?!'"

Sasuke stared at her outburst with a raised brow. "Calm down Sakura."

She gaped at him in shock for a moment because really? "Calm down?" she repeated, anger blossoming on her face. "Calm down?! I'll calm down when I fucking want to calm down Uchiha Sasuke!" she yelled, clenching her fists. "How dare you cheat on me!"

Sasuke let out a tired sigh. "Figures you would think that…" he muttered, before looking into her eyes. If Sakura were any less angry, she would have flinched from his intense gaze. "I'm not cheating on you Sakura. Why would I? You're my wife. I love you."

The pink haired medic scoffed. "Save your lies for someone else Sasuke. As if I could believe you after what I saw… I feel like such an idiot! The whole village knew about you and Kagome for months and I only found out today! How could you both betray me like that? I trusted you! I trusted both of you! You're my husband! She's my friend! Yet who knew you were both getting it on with each other in the dark!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her words but refrained from snapping back at her.

The last thing he wanted to do now was to make matters worse. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke again. "Sakura, believe me when I say that I am not cheating on you. This is all just a simple misunderstanding."

"Just a simple misunderstanding?" Her voice was high pitched and sceptical.

The Uchiha nodded solemnly and blinked when Sakura only laughed in disbelief. "'Just a simple misunderstanding?' I saw you embrace her Sasuke! You put your hand on her, you whispered sweet nothings in her ear and the look you gave her…" her voice wavered, and she blinked to clear away the tears gathering in her eyes. "Is that what you call a misunderstanding?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sakura could be really stubborn when she set her mind to it, which only meant that it would be extra troublesome for him because he had to explain doubly hard to get it through to her.

"Kagome and I are just friends," Sasuke tried again. Be calm. Be patient. Be gentle. Don't lose your temper, no matter how tempting it may be…

"Oh yeah," Sakura agreed sarcastically. "I've seen how friendly the two of you can be. You couldn't keep your hands off of her…" Sasuke's eye twitched in frustration and he took a deep breath. Think calm thoughts. Remember, no snapping at the thick-headed wife. No snapping at the thick-headed wife…

"Who would you rather believe? The words of people you don't know or the words of your own husband Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his tone cold.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll only believe what I've seen with my own eyes Sasuke. And trust me, what I've seen so far doesn't put you in a good light. The rumours and what Ino told me are simply an added bonus," she replied, her tone just as cold.

Sasuke closed his eyes and turned his face heavenward, as if begging for divine intervention.

"Ino…" he groaned. "Why am I not surprised? I should have known she couldn't keep her big mouth shut. That freaking bitch should have really learned to mind her own business by now."

Sakura felt her temper flare at his words. "Uchiha Sasuke don't you dare call Ino that! She's my friend. She doesn't deserve that kind of language from you just because she was kind enough to open my eyes to the truth and expose you! I would have never known you were cheating on me with Kagome if she'd never told me because no one else would!"

"No one told you because it isn't true," Sasuke said with gritted teeth. "That's the whole point of rumours. They're words with no hint of truth to it."

"Don't you give me that bullshit Sasuke," she growled. Her eyes flashed with anger. "Now all I want to know is why did you cheat on me? When did your affair with Kagome start and why did it have to be Kagome? Why did you get her pregnant? Do you know how much you've hurt me?!"

It was no use. Sasuke was finally losing his temper with his wife.

"How many fucking times do I have to repeat this Sakura? Kagome and I are innocent! I'm not cheating on you! The 'affair' has no time span because there was never an affair to begin with! Kagome is just a good friend who's going through a difficult time in her life now and I offered my help! You know about my history with her so you should know the kind of relationship we share! I only see her as an elder sister, as Itachi's best friend and nothing more than that!" he all but yelled.

"You only see her an elder sister? As your brother's best friend?" Sakura repeated, her voice soft.

Sasuke nodded and let out a sigh, thinking that he had finally managed to convince her. He certainly didn't expect the slap that came next. He blinked in surprise as he placed his hand over his stinging cheek.

"I don't believe you Sasuke," Sakura stated.

"Why not?" Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but her words hurt him far more than her slap did.

"I saw how you behaved, the way you looked at her just now. The love in your eyes. That smile on your face. How happy and relaxed you were. It was like she was the centre of your universe." She clenched her fists. "You know Sasuke. We've been married for only a year now. If that's how long it takes for you to find a new squeeze I can't help wondering whether you really loved me in the first place."

Sasuke flinched as if he had been punched. "Sakura…"

"No," she bit out. "I've had it. Enough with all the excuses Sasuke and tell me now. Why did you marry me and then cheat on me with someone I know? If it'd been a stranger it would've make it easier for me to beat them to a bloody pulp. Why did you get her pregnant? Don't tell me you're really that desperate for an heir to carry on the Uchiha line? I told you we would wait for a few more years before having kids! So why did you do this to me? Why Kagome? Why her! If you thought she was a better choice than me then why did you marry me in the first place?!" Sakura yelled. Her eyes were filled with tears.

She hit Sasuke's chest with her (thankfully not chakra-infused) fists over and over again. "Why? Why? Why?" She repeated as she cried.

Sasuke knew that now would be the time for him to wrap her in his arms and comfort her. Now would be the time for him to whisper his explanation in her ear that no, he really meant it when he said that he wasn't cheating on her with Kagome. That he loved her.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

He was just so frustrated and angry at her accusations and lack of trust in him. She was being so unreasonable and stubborn, willing to believe mere rumours spread by stupid people rather than give him the benefit of the doubt. She was being so selfish.

A relationship was all about give and take but it seemed to Sasuke that all Sakura did these days was take.

"For the last damn time Sakura I am not cheating on you!" he hissed. "Even if I did cheat whose bloody fault do you think it is?!" he added as an afterthought. Sakura stopped her pounding on his chest and she looked at him with teary wide eyes.

"What?!" she breathed.

"Ever since we got married Sakura, it's always been about you. Never about me. It's always been about your needs. Never about mine. It's always been about your wants, but never about my wants. I want to have a family Sakura, but for your sake, I was willing to wait a few more years. Even when you were so busy with work, I never asked you to cut back on your hours to spend more time together whenever I was in Konoha because I know how much your job meant to you. Tell me Sakura. Have you ever thought about how lonely I felt every time you rushed off to work and left me alone in that empty apartment?"

Sakura didn't answer him. She only stared.

"I was so fucking lonely. It felt like I was back at the Uchiha Compound again after Itachi slaughtered the clan. But did you notice?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "No, of course you didn't. Because it's all about Sakura." He sneered. "We don't act like husband and wife Sakura and sometimes I can't help but wonder why we even got married in the first place."

Sakura wanted to embrace him and tell him how sorry she was for not noticing his loneliness. For letting herself get so caught up in her work that he felt like she neglected him. She wanted to apologise for making it seem like she only cared about herself when in actuality she loved him so much that it scared her sometimes. She wanted to explain to him why she didn't want to have kids now, why she threw herself in her work.

Yes, Sakura wanted to say and do all of those things. But as her brain replayed his words in her head, she found herself getting angry again.

"Wait." Her tone was sheer ice. "Are you implying that it was my fault you ended up having an affair?"

Sasuke froze. Shit, when he had said that to her, he hadn't been thinking properly. He had been too hurt and angry to care, and he wanted to take his anger out on her the same way she did with him.

"And that you want to divorce me?"

The Uchiha opened his mouth to explain, but he never got the chance. Before he knew it, Sakura spat out, "Sasuke you utter bastard!" and brought her knee straight to his groin. She then stomped angrily past him and out of the apartment, slamming the door shut as she left. It took a few moments for the pain to sink in and when it finally did Sasuke's usually calm face transformed into one of sheer agony.

He let out a long moan and slowly sank to the floor, his hands held over his severely injured crotch.

It felt like Sakura had used chakra in that kick of hers. If she did, she may have just permanently destroyed the Uchiha's chances of ever siring children. How the hell was the Uchiha bloodline going to continue now? Sasuke thought as he trembled in pain.

Well, that was just the consequence of pissing off an insanely strong Kunoichi…

Sakura couldn't stop crying as she wandered aimlessly around the streets. Why and how did Sasuke say such stupid, insensitive things like that to her? Didn't he know how much it had hurt her?

But he's right you know, Inner Sakura whispered. In your marriage, it really has been all about you.

Sakura sank to her knees and clutched desperately at her head, trying to make the voice go away. But it was no use. His words were repeating themselves in her mind over and over again.

"Even if I did cheat whose bloody fault do you think it is?!"

"Ever since we got married Sakura, it's always been about you. Never about me. It's always been about your needs. Never about mine. It's always been about your wants, but never about my wants."

"Have you ever thought about how lonely I felt every time you rushed off to work and left me alone in that empty apartment?"

"We don't act like husband and wife Sakura and sometimes I can't help but wonder why we even got married in the first place."

"Shut up…" Sakura whispered brokenly. "Shut up!"

She pounded her fists into the ground over and over again, crying out all the grief and heartbreak she felt after discovering Sasuke's affair. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sakura slumped against the wall of an alley.

She had no more tears left in her to cry. The pink haired medic was sure that right now she looked like a complete and utter mess. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from all the crying, her cheeks were glistening with dried tear tracks. Her knuckles were bloody and aching up a storm, and she knew that she should get them checked out. There was a possibility she had broken them.

But Sakura just couldn't find it in herself to care.

What was the point? It still didn't change the fact that Sasuke had cheated on her. That he was planning to divorce her and marry Kagome instead. That Kagome was having his baby. That child was supposed to be mine…

Sakura felt like utter shit inside so it was only fair that she felt utter shit outside as well.

She was sure that people were looking at her as they walked past (she could practically feel the weighted stares on her body) but she tuned them all out and just focused her eyes on the ground. She wasn't even aware of someone approaching her until she felt their touch on her shoulder.

"Sakura? W-What's wrong?" the voice asked softly.

Sakura looked up and found herself staring into the pale white eyes of a Hyuuga. "Hinata…" she moaned.

"What happened to you?" Hinata asked in a worried tone. Seeing the kind expression on her friend's face, Sakura couldn't help it when she broke down again. Well, it seemed like she still had some tears left in her body. She leaned into Hinata and pressed her face against the other woman's ample chest. Her arms grabbed hold of the robe the Hyuuga heiress was wearing.

"Sasuke's cheating-hic on me with Kagome-hic…" she sniffled, "And he's hic-the father of her-hic baby!"

Hinata frowned at the statement. She had heard the rumours of course, but was sure that Sasuke would never be the type of man to be unfaithful to his wife. For one thing, he'd been brought up in a prominent clan like hers. He'd probably been taught since birth that infidelity was wrong and dishonourable. Sasuke was anything but dishonourable and he would rather die than tarnish the name of his clan.

So why did Sakura claim he cheated on her?

It just didn't add up. Hinata sorely wanted to go and confront the Uchiha about it, but… she glanced down at her friend and decided. Confronting Sasuke could wait. Right now, Sakura was more important.

"Come on," she said, helping Sakura to her feet. "I'm going to take you home with me and we'll get you patched up okay?"

Sakura nodded slowly. Hinata wrapped a comforting arm around her friend and together the two began the long walk back to the Hyuuga compound.

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End Chapter

Hello my lovelies. Welcome to the new chapter.

So, I cleaned up their argument. I hope it reads better than the one in Version 1.0.

Sasuke and Sakura may be married now, but it doesn't mean things are happily ever after from here. The underlying problems in their marriage have been building up for months now and it was about time to explode.

So, the two need to work out their issues and make some changes in their lives, and they'll only come out of it stronger in the end.

Please let me know what you think! :)

~Beans